Forever Gone
by Pawprinter
Summary: Shelby is a girl living in District 6. She has an amazing husband, Audi, and a little boy, Alex. Her life had been planed out for her from childhood. But her family didn't plan for the District Creep that is targeting her family. This is her story. For Hutsune.


**Hey! I'm so happy to present... THIS STORY!... AGAIN!**

**Written For: Hutsune**

**Okay. So this is a story related to the universe of _An Arena of Stone: Untold Stories of the 49th HG. _This is a short story written for Hutsune, who writes the story said above. This is a story, more specifically about Rebecca, Aston, and Shelby (Lexi's family).**

**This takes place on the December before the 51st Hunger Games. So it's around a year and six months after Lexi and Vitz were in the Hunger Games.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games.**

**So... yeah.**

**Here's a list of characters and their ages:**

Ford Deryl: Rebecca's Father ***dead***

Medicine Deryl (Nee Remel): Rebecca's Mother ***dead***

Honda Rebecca "Rebecca" Deryl: Daughter of Ford Deryl/Medicine Deryl ***18 years***

Aran Deryl: Brother of Rebecca, son of Ford Deryl/Medicine Deryl ***17 years***

Axle Deryl: Father of Lexi ***missing***

Fascia Deryl (Nee Bell): Mother of Lexi ***dead***

Mary Deryl: Cousin of Rebecca ***dead***

Lexus "Lexi" Deryl: Cousin/adopted sister of Rebecca/daughter of Axle and Fascia/sister of Mary ***dead in this story***

Aston "Ash" Deryl: Cousin/adopted brother of Rebecca/son of Axle and Fascia/ brother of Lexi ***17 years***

Brunella "Bru" Deryl: Sister of Aston ***14 years***

Ford "Ford" Deryl II: Brother of Brunella ***10 years***

Kiva Deryl: Sister of Ford ***7 years***

Holley Fuel (Nee Deryl): Mother of Shelby/sister of Axle and Ford I ***dead***

Diesel Fuel: Father of Shelby ***unknown***

Shelby Brandons (Nee Deryl-Fuel): Adopted sister of Lexi, adopted sister of Rebecca, cousin of Lexi, daughter of Holley/Diesel ***17 years***

Audi Brandons: Husband of Shelby ***17 years***

Alex Vitz Brandons: Son of Shelby/Audi ***1 year and 3 months***

Vitz Morales: Friend of group ***dead in this story***

Corolla Jones: Friend of group/ used to be girl friend of Vitz until he died ***19 years***

Celica Alexus Jones-Morales: Daughter of Vitz and Corolla ***1 year and 7 months***

**If you have any questiones, just PM me or ask in your review.**

**I hope you enjoy : )**

**So...**

**Enjoy!**

**xxx**

* * *

**Forever Gone**

* * *

He was cold. Empty. Hallow.

The boy with shaggy brown hair and big brown eyes was seeing double and was finding it hard to speak. His breath came out in laboured gasps and he had a sharp pain just above his ear, where a rock smacked him.

"Aston?" The girl beside him questioned. She had long, wavy brown hair and light brown eyes. Her breath also came out in gasps, forming small clouds in the cold air. Her skull had become horribly misshapen, a large dent pouring hot, red blood. Her face was all scratched up and she was sure her hand was busted up. "Ash, my head hurts." She whispered. The boy groaned and shifted his body to look at the girl.

"It's going to be okay, Shelby." The boy, Aston, mumbled. The girl shifted her eyes from the night sky to her adopted brother.

"I want out of the snow, Ash." The girl, Shelby, whispered. "I'm cold." The guy grimaced and coughed a few times.

"We'll be out of the snow soon. People walk this alley all the time, Shell." Aston whispered. The girl whimpered.

"Not on Christmas, though." She said. She groaned in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so tired." Shelby whispered faintly.

"C'mon, Shelby. You're strong. You're going to be all right." Aston muttered. He shifted closer to his sister, pushing his pain aside. They lay there for a few minutes, battered beyond recondition, and in excoriating pain.

"We'll be alright." Shelby echoed after a few minutes. She chuckled lightly. "I kept telling myself that all my life. Things will turn out, don't give up, everything will be alright." Shelby whispered. "It's not true, Ash. None of that crap is true."

"Don't say that." Aston whispered. Shelby looked up into the night sky and smiled weakly.

"My mom died just so I was born and my dad left before he could even see my face. Our aunt died in this alley on your birthday and your older sister was raped and murdered in this alley. Your mom was raped and murdered in this alley; our uncle was murdered in this alley. Lexi was sent off to be killed in the Games… How is this alright? How is this world that we're living in _alright_?" Shelby asked.

"Lexi knew what she was doing." Aston whispered.

"She might have, but how is it fair that she had to know what she was doing? How is it _fair_ that she knew she had to give herself willingly so our cousin would live? Why in the world would somebody have the chance to do that? How is that fair?" Shelby asked.

"It's not fair, we know this." Aston whispered.

"Why is some creep allowed to walk around our district and do this to people?" Shelby asked. "This could have happened to Kiva, or to Rebecca."

"Don't worry about Becca." Aston muttered. "She knows how to take care of herself."

"This could have happened to Lexi. When she was here. Just last year." Shelby said. Aston swallowed. "It could happen to Alex, or Celica, or Corolla. Hell, they could get reaped one year! How is that fair? How are people like this district creep allowed to live, but people like Lexi and Mary die?"

"You're getting a little deep there, Shelby." Aston said. He smiled slightly and gave a shudder. He faintly wondered how much blood goes in a human body.

"It's true though, Ash." Shelby muttered. "How are good people killed but murderers are allowed to live? How the bloody hell is that fair?"

"There isn't an answer to that, Shell." Aston whispered. "But for what it's worth, it's not fair."

They were surrounded by silence and pain for a few minutes. Shelby was starting to lose her sight in her eye closest to the dent, and she was sure that her lung was on fire. Aston had the worst headache ever, his face felt like it was dipped in acid, he could feel his blood draining out of the deep gash under his rib cage, and he couldn't do anything about it because both his hands were close to broken.

"I 'member a story about North America before its downfall, it was told in school." Shelby said. "It's reminded me of Lexi once I heard it but I never really told it."

"Lexi is a touchy subject." Aston agreed.

"Do you remember in the Games how Lexi was about ready to curl up and die that one night?" Shelby asked. Aston managed a nod. "She did curl up, too. We were all watchin' the televiosion and praying that she wouldn't die like that. That one night- we were all sure she was close to death… That one night she got up and started walking. It was a miracle. She was talking to herself and stumbled around, but she found what she needed and lived past the next day." Shelby said. "In school I've learned that it was her Guardian Angel protecting her, saving her, pushing her to live. We've all got one, Aston. It shows up at our last moments, pushing us to live."

"Why are you telling me this?" Aston asked weakly.

"We're going to die sometime in our lives, right?" She asked. Aston muttered a yes. "We have to do what our Angel says. Jump, breath, walk, whatever. They know best. Do what it says." Shelby sniffed and coughed up blood.

"We're going to die, huh." Aston muttered. "Tonight, I know it. We're barely breathing here."

"Aw, don't say that stuff, Aston." Shelby said. "We both promised that we wouldn't die from this man. Remember? He's not going to put our family through any more pain or misery."

"I don't wanna die." Aston told Shelby.

"Then don't." Shelby said. "We stay strong and live. If we're going to die our Angel will come and help us out. It's not our time yet, Ash. I have Audi and little Alex to take care of. You have everyone else in the family. It's not our time to die, we have a purpose still."

"How can you be so sure about it, Shelby? You were just saying that life is unfair." Aston asked.

"You have to trust God, Aston. Didn't you pay attention at church?" Shelby asked. Aston smiled weakly. "What about that little girl in Lexi's games? She said to trust God."

"That little girl died." Aston pointed out.

"Everyone dies sometime or other, Ash." Shelby pointed out. She somehow found the strength to smirk at her adopted brother's bluntness.

"Not unless they find the philosopher's stone." Aston said.

"Not the point." Shelby said. She smirked none the less. "You need to pay more attention in church."

"Ford, Audi, Aran, and I were too busy goofing off with the hymn books and throwing papers at each other to hear anything anyone was saying." Aston said. Shelby' laugh was gargled. By now blood was slowly stating to cover every inch of her body.

"I wanted to get married to Audi in the church." Shelby whispered. "He wanted to get married outdoors, but I didn't. Outside reminded me too much of my life, too much of the pain I've been through. At church, I could forget everything that ever happened to me. We decided to get married at the church." Shelby whispered.

"I wish I would have asked Erin to marry me." Aston mumbled. "Lexi liked her when she was with us. Thought she was tough and could take the messed up world our family lived in. I think she only liked Erin because she was Byke's little sister's best friend." Aston said. "Rebecca thinks she's a robot from the Capital out to kill me…" Aston smile turned into a grimace. "I'm afraid I'm never going to get the chance to propose to Erin. I used to be afraid of asking her, afraid of her saying no… I don't know what I was thinkin'. Now I'm afraid that I'm never going to get the chance to hear her say no."

"Erin is very beautiful." Shelby whispered. Her skin was paler than usual and her lips had a strange undertone to them. "You know, she'll say yes when you ask her. She loves you too, Aston. You don't have to worry about that. Don't worry about any of that stuff. You'll get to propose to her. Knowing you, you will ask her tomorrow." Shelby muttered. Her eyes were half closed. She took a long breath of air, cringing in pain as it moved her broken ribs. "You'll get to do the things you want to do, you're not done yet." Shelby said.

"Neither are you." Aston said. Shelby smiled weakly.

"You remind me so much of Lexi." Shelby said. "So beautiful…" Shelby whispered. Her head turned the slightest bit to look at Aston. "I used to be jealous of you, Lexi, and Rebecca. You three were all so beautiful. Perfect hair, perfect blue eyes, perfect face… All I had were my brains." Shelby whispered. "Perfect…" Shelby muttered.

Silence consumed both of them. Laboured gasps came from their lips as they looked out into the winter night sky.

Aston felt frozen fingers clutch his hand. He was sure he was supposed to feel pain, but he felt nothing. He slowly wrapped his hand around Shelby's.

"When I die, can you make sure the family doesn't starve?" Aston asked. "Lexi is gone and she was leader… Rebecca isn't there mentally anymore, Aran is worried about Rebecca, and everyone else is too young." Aston said. "I'm left in charge, and when I die the younger kids will be left alone."

"You have to take care of Audi and Alex for me. Audi can't cook to save his life and I'm always worried about Alex…" Shelby said. "Tell them I love them." Shelby added. Aston smiled and nodded slowly. His next breath gargled and blood spilled out the corner of his mouth. Shelby shifted herself closer to her.

"That hurt like hell." Shelby muttered.

"Don't move then." Aston said.

"I want to be close to someone I love when I die." Shelby whispered. Aston closed his eyes and listened to the howl of the wind.

"Me too." Aston muttered. Minutes passed before anyone spoke again. Shelby shifted closer to Aston again and her hand tightened around his.

"Lexi's so beautiful." Shelby muttered. Aston opened his eyes to look at his sister. He tiled his head so he could see her. Her eyes were glazed over as she looked into the sky. "As beautiful as I remember, maybe more so. Her hair is down though, like she wears it to church. It's curly with Mary's clip keeping her bangs out of her eyes." Shelby whispered. "So beautiful." Shelby cooed. "I think she might be taller. She doesn't have any bruises or cuts like she usually did. She looks free…" Shelby mumbled. Her eyes were slowly closing. "Happy." Shelby muttered. Her eyes shifted to Aston. "I'm going to die, Aston." Shelby muttered.

"You're not going to die." Aston said.

"Death isn't as bad as it seems." Shelby whispered. "You feel free… Happy… Worriless." Shelby said. She rolled over so she could see Aston's face clearly.

"Your Angel still needs to come; you aren't going to die, Shelby." Aston said. Shelby smiled and lifted her hand that wasn't clutching Aston's to Aston's face.

"My Angel is already here." Shelby said. She smiled weakly. Aston grasped Shelby's hand tighter. "Don't worry so much, Ash." Shelby said weakly. She rolled back onto her back and gasped in pain. "Worry doesn't help anything." She said. Her eyes shifted back to the sky. "Lexi loves you, you know." Shelby's eyes fluttered a few times. "I think Lexi's always been my Angel, Aston." Shelby muttered. Her eyes flickered back to Aston and she smiled weakly. "Death ain't so bad." She muttered. Her eyes fluttered closed and her hand moved to her necklace, the one that opened to a picture of Audi, Shelby, and Alex. It used to hold a picture of her parents just last year, but she had changed it out to people she loved more.

"Your time isn't up, Shell. You still have Alex and Audi, remember?" Aston asked. Shelby opened her eyes once more and looked into the sky.

"Lexi's always been impatient, hasn't see?" She asked. Shelby chuckled lightly. "I love Audi and Alex. Tell them." Shelby whispered. "I love you too, Ash. And the rest of the family." She muttered. "Tell them Lexi says hi." Shelby muttered. She gave a weak cough before her eyes fluttered closed. Her hand went limp in Aston's grasp and fell to the snow beneath them.

Aston didn't move. He couldn't think. His mind was clouded with fog, mixing his thoughts together. But through his haze he managed a few words.

"Goodbye, Shell." Aston muttered. He looked to the sky. "You better take damn good care of each other, you two." Aston smirked before coughing on some of his blood. His head lulled to one side and his hand dropped next to Shelby's.

They might have looked dead, but they were still breathing.

* * *

"Shelby!" A guy with black hair and dark brown eyes yelled for what felt like the billionth time. "Aston!" He called.

"Aran, shut your trap!" A blonde guy with blue eyes snapped. "We won't hear them if you keep hollering!"

"Don't talk to him like that, Audi!" A beautiful girl with brown hair and blue eyes snapped. "He's trying to help!" The girl said. The blonde guy, Audi, glared at the girl.

"Why did we even bring you along, Rebecca?" Audi asked.

"Leave her out of this, Audi." The black haired guy, Aran, warned.

"Why are you trying to find these two anyway, Aran?" Audi asked.

"Listen, you might be Shelby's fiancé, but I'm her adopted brother. Aston is my adopted brother too, Audi. They are both my blood cousins and I'm not going to sit on my ass like a waiting chicken for her children to come home!" Aran snapped.

"Shut up, you two!" A red haired girl said with a glare. "Audi, I know you're worried but worry helps nobody!" She said. "And Aran, I know you're just protecting Becca, but you're making me want to jab your eyes out." She said with a huff. "Now, just everyone shut your mouth."

"Gods, Bru, I swear your flames crackle when your mad." Audi said with a grim smile. The girl only laughed.

"Let's check Mountain Street." Aran said after a minute. "They were headed to The Market, so they would use that street. They obviously aren't on the paths home or to The Market." Aran muttered. Rebecca shook her head.

"They aren't there." Rebecca muttered. Audi raised his eyebrow. Rebecca's frantic eyes flicked over the small group before setting to the empty space in front of her.

"How do you know?" Audi asked.

"How could it is, like minus thirty?" Rebecca mumbled under her breath followed by a shiver.

"Alright, Brunella, do you want to come with me to look on Mountain?" Audi asked.

"You didn't hear Rebecca's answer." Aran said. Brunella, the red head, stepped forward and lightly grasped Aran's arm. She gently led him away from Audi and Rebecca.

"Aran, Rebecca isn't always here. Remember, we talked about this before." Brunella whispered gently.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aran asked with a glare.

"You know what I mean." Brunella said. "I love her too, but you can't honestly say you believe her when she says she can see the future, can you?" She questioned. "She's my older sister too, Aran." Nella reminded him.

"She knows best, ever sense we were kids." Aran said. "You can't say that she's not her anymore."

"Maybe she was never fully here, Ar." Brunella said. "She might have just been unstable before and Lexi was finally the breaking point." She suggested. Aran's face turned cold and blank.

"Do you know that when she was one or two our mom's best friend, pretty much out aunt, came to live with us? Rebecca saw her neck slit in her own house. How could that not break her if she was always unstable?" Aran asked. Brunella opened her mouth, but Aran cut her off. "I know you're just trying to help, but I know her best. I'll follow her to the end of the earth because she knows best… No matter what her mental health is." Aran said.

"Aran…" Brunella whispered. "You have to let her go a little bit. You're the one to take care of her, not her taking care of you." She said. "You have to grow up a bit." Brunella said. Aran glared at the red head. "I did. Lexi isn't here to take care of the kids. I had to step up to her plate. Rebecca wasn't able, Shelby had her own family, and Aston is now needed to take Lexi's and Rebecca's place where money is needed. You need to help Rebecca, I can't. I have Ford and Kiva to take care of." Brunella said. "Grow up and see what is needed of you."

"You're starting to act like Lexi every day, you know, Bru." Aran muttered. Bru smiled slightly.

"Who's acting?" She questioned.

"Aran!" Aran turned around to look at the other two. "Are you going to come with me down the back alley?" Rebecca asked. Aran nodded.

"Sure, yeah." He said. Rebecca grinned and held out her hand for her brother to take.

"I have a very strong feeling about the alley." Rebecca said. She started pulling Aran down the street towards the Market Alley.

"I'll send Bec to get you if we find them." Aran said. Brunella nodded and smiled.

"Sure." She said. Brunella tightened her high ponytail and grinned grimly. "We'll loop back around if we don't find anything." She said. "Come on, Audi. We don't have all day." She said. Brunella took off sprinting towards Mountain Street, in the direction of The Market.

"Come on, Aran." Rebecca said. "They're dying, I can feel it." Rebecca stated. Aran took in a sharp breath.

"How do you know, Becca?" He asked. Her scared eyes were flicking all over the palce before they briefly rested on his.

"I just do." Rebecca whispered. They turned down the dark alley and felt a new cold hit them. "Damn, they really need to shovel down this street. Or put some heaters or something…" Rebecca muttered.

"Or we should buy more sweaters." Aran said. Rebecca grinned.

"I've knitted a sweater for Alex and Celica." Rebecca said proudly. "Although, I don't think we're supposed to wash them. I think I used the wrong type of wool." Aran laughed along with her.

"You don't think they will get wet from all the rain?" Aran asked. Rebecca ginned and shook her head.

"I'll see when rain is coming." Rebecca muttered. "I always do… Most of the time." She said. Aran nodded solemnly. His eyes caught sight of a bruise on her shoulder when her top slid down a bit.

"Hold up, Bec." Aran said. He stopped walking, forcing for Rebecca to stop walking. "Where is this bruise from?" He questioned, gently touching the bruise. Rebecca glanced down at her arm in surprise.

She let out a soft, "Oh."

"Aran!" A girlish voice called. Aran and Rebecca jumped and looked up from each other, down the dark alley. "Becca!" The voice yelled. "They aren't down Mountain!" Aran turned down to Rebecca with a small frown on his face.

"We'll talk about this later." He said. Rebecca nodded meekly. "We're still looking!" He called back to Brunella. He turned to Rebecca. "Let's start looking." Aran said. She nodded.

"I know where they are." She said. Rebecca retook Aran's hand and started dragging him down the alley, coming to rest below a dimly lit up sign and a ladder leading to the roof of the shop. "They should be right here." Rebecca said. Aran took a step forward and stepped in something. He stumbled back and looked down at where he stepped.

Nothing was there.

He looked down at his foot and frowned. He couldn't see anything.

"You have a light or something?" Aran asked.

"Hold on one moment." Rebecca said. She reached down into her pocket and pulled out a lighter. Aran raised his eyebrows at her. "I found this for a good price at The Market yesterday and thought it would be good for the Christmas Bonfire… I'd rather spend little money for a lighter than have one of you guys burn your eyebrows off again…" Rebecca muttered. Without another word she flipped the lighter and a dim light was given off. Aran took the lighter from Rebecca (he honestly couldn't trust her with fire) and put the light close to his shoe. From what he saw made him drop the lighter.

"Holy Shi-"

"What?" Rebecca asked quickly. Aran gulped and fell to his knees, blindly searching through the darkness for the lighter. "Aran, you're scaring me." Rebecca said. Aran grasped the lighter and flicked it on again. He moved the flame slowly, searching inches away from the flame. He dropped the lighter once again. "Aran…"

"Go get Brunella and Audi." Aran ordered. Rebecca took a few tentative steps backwards. "Now!" He said. "I found them!" He hissed. Rebecca's face paled before she took off towards The Market. Aran briefly thought that she could run almost as fast as Lexi could…

"Lex…" Somebody muttered. Aran's eyes shot down to the bodies below him. "Lexi… Oh, God…" Aran instantly recognized the voice of Shelby.

"Shell, its Aran." He said in a hushed voice. "Just hang on, Audi is here. And… And we're going to get you all healed up."

"Ash is worse…" Shelby muttered. "Oh, Lexus!" She said in a sob. "I can't do this…" She muttered.

"Shelby!" Audi yelled. Three pairs of thundering feet could be heard coming towards them. Rebecca was first to arrive. She dropped to her knees beside Aran and held onto his shoulder. Audi was next to arrive. He dropped to his knees and blindly searched for his fiancé's body. "Shelby…" He mumbled. His voice dropped so low, but Aran heard him. He sounded so broken, so hollow, so… empty. He sounded like he was the one in the snow dying, not Shelby and Aston.

"Audi…" Shelby whispered. She started like she wanted to tell him something, but she never got to finish. She had fallen unconscious again.

Brunella arrived then. Her blue eyes were sparking in worry and her hair crackled with her panic.

"I'm going to run home and prepare the kitchen for these two… Warn the younger ones… Corolla…" Brunella told her siblings before turning and running as fast as she could towards their house.

"Get Corolla to get all her medical supplies!" Rebecca screamed. Brunella answered with a frantic scream of her own.

"Audi, pick up Shelby slowly. We need to see her injuries in the light… Aran, you pick up Aston. Once you have a firm hold on them, run as fast as you can to the house. Bru should have gotten there once you all have them there." She said. Audi and Aran picked up the two and bolted off towards the house. Rebecca closed her eyes and images streamed into her mind.

"_Death isn't as bad as it seems." Shelby whispered. Her face was bashed in, her should was definetly dislocated, and the bruises and scratches on her face made her look almost unrecognizable. "You feel free… happy… worriless…" Shelby whispered. Her battered face turned to Aston._

Rebecca jerked out of her own world and soundlessly stood up. She decided she would come back tomorrow to clear everything… Right now she had to go heal those two. After all; now that Lexi was gone she was the best healer of the family.

She spun around on her heels and ran off towards the house, her thoughts scattered throughout her brain, but one thought stood out.

Her family was never going to be the same after this night.

* * *

**There we have it. **

**Now, this isn't officially canon in Hutsune's story, but in my mind this is what should happen. Here are some hidden things in this story:**

_Shelby does die in the end. Sorry. _

_Rebecca is crazy after Lexi was killed in the Games. She was always able to see things (like a sneer)_

_Both Lexi and Vitz died in the second day of the Games (killed by Sierra and Seni) and Nick won. We all know this doesn't happen because Nick (RIP) dies in Chapter 30 and Lexi and Vitz survive until one of the last days. I don't know what happens to them, but I thought it would be easier if they both die for this story (Dear Hutsune, just because I wrote them dead doesn't mean they should die... Just saying. Stay with your chioce before you read this!)_

_When Shelby is talking about the little girl from Lexi's Games that believed in God, she's talking about Shay (thanks for pointing out that it's not Vee, Hutsune. Totally slipped my mind :o)... RIP!_

**I hoped you enjoyed this! If you want to read more, read Hutsune's story. It is one of my most favourite stories of all time.**

***Also, thanks for pointing out my mistakes. My spell check is quite old, so that screwed me up when I read over it :p Thanks, Hutsune!**

**Thanks! Remember to review!**

**~Paw~**


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